Back in September, we wrote – rather excitedly – about the latest project from Alex Garland, Annihilation.

Starring Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh, the story follows the expedition of four women who are sent into the mysterious “Area X”, a portion of land in the USA that has been secretly quarantined due to abnormal activity. They are the 12th expedition sent into Area X on behalf of the mysterious Southern Reach organization. The second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third in a hail of gunfire as the members turned on one another and the 11th expedition returned as shells of their former selves, all dying of cancer shortly after coming back.

However, Deadline has reported that Paramount and Netflix are negotiating a deal that would give the international rights to Netflix and that Annihilation would only receive a “traditional” theatrical release in the US, Canada and China.

The movie had been set for a UK theatrical release on 23 February, the same day as the US. Presumably, if this deal goes through, that date will be pushed to 17 days after the American theatrical release as stated in the deal.

There’s been no comment from Netflix or Paramount on this subject at this time and even if it does happens, there is a slim chance of a limited theatrical release…and quite rightly so, given the talent both in front of and behind the camera. However, the idea that a film like this would make most of its theatrical take in the US, not internationally, makes a deal with Netflix very appealing.

If Annihilation‘s release was looking unreliable, then it’s great that it’s going to be picked up by a service that can bring it to an audience who might not have seen it otherwise. On the other hand, many would appreciate the chance to see what looks to be a beautifully made film, based on an incredibly atmospheric novel, on the big screen.

It looks spectacularly creepy in an almost Arrival-meets-Predator kind of way. It’s filled with lots of weird and unusual alien phenomena that give the team of crack scientists pretty good reason to be…terrified beyond belief.

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